Reba McEntire, Taylor Swift: CMA Festival Expands

Reba McEntire photo by Marc Baptiste, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

May 19, 2009 — With just three weeks to go until the annual CMA Music Festival takes place in Nashville, the Country Music Association is piling on new details about the event with Reba McEntire, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood committed to signing autographs at the Greased Lightning Fan Fair Hall.

It marks the first time Reba has taken part in the festival signings in 13 years. And 2008 attendees likely remember Taylor scribbling her name for eight straight hours.

But they’re just a few of the acts who’ve agreed to meet fans in the autograph lines this year. Also planning to spend serious face time with visitors are LeAnn Rimes, Wynonna, Gretchen Wilson, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Craig Morgan, Lorrie Morgan, Neal McCoy, Jack Ingram, Randy Houser, Eric Church, Jason Michael Carroll, Bucky Covington, Chuck Wicks, Julianne Hough, James Otto, Trent Tomlinson and Heidi Newfield, among others.

Slated June 11-14, the CMA Music Festival features a wide array of concerts, including the nightly shows at spacious LP Field as well as free daytime performances at Riverfront Park.

ABC, which will air a festival-related special in August, is kicking in a block party June 12-13 with the Divas of Daytime — cast members from "All My Children" and "One Life To Live." Those events will also include appearances by country newcomers Love And Theft, Caitlin & Will and Sarah Buxton.

And leaving no opportunity unmined, the CMA will also be collecting used instruments as it furthers its outreach for music education in Nashville schools. Donating a second-hand instrument might sound like a small thing, but the potential impact is huge.

"I have always believed in the power of music," Jimmy Wayne says. "I got hooked as a teenager when I bought my first guitar at a yard sale, and I'm still hooked on music. That guitar helped me make a career for myself, and I want all children who love music to have the opportunity to learn to play an instrument."

Among the artists who’ve committed to perform at this year’s stadium shows are Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Trace Adkins.